An artisan goes eco-friendly

 The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and other organisations stress on celebrating Ganesha festival in an eco-friendly way by putting up related posters at vantage points, thinking their responsibility is over.

But, Muniraju, an artisan here, has been silently making only clay Ganesha idols, doing his part to save the environment. Muniraju is a physically-challenged, affected by polio when he was two years old. He belongs to Harohalli of Kanakapura taluk in Ramanagar district, but has  settled in Mandya since two years. He is involved in making idols, which is a family vocation.

He purchases good quality clay and begins making preparations for the idols eight months in advance.

He keeps about 2,500 idols ready for sale before the festival.

The idols are available from Rs 50 to Rs 4,500 and with a maximum height of 4.5 ft. He also makes idols as per order, but does not use any colours. For some idols, he uses water colours as per the preferences of the buyer.

Paper mache
For those who want idols more than five feet, he purchases paper mache Ganeshas from Pondicherry.

These idols can be immersed in buckets also, says Muniraju.